HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTBOARD OF EDUCATION

Greg Meyers

President

Paula Harris

First Vice President

Diana Davila

Second Vice President

Carol Mims Galloway

Secretary

Anna Eastman

Assistant Secretary

Harvin C. Moore

Michael Lunceford

Lawrence Marshall

Manuel Rodriguez, Jr.

Terry Grier, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Chuck Morris, Ed.D.

Deputy Chief Academic Offi cer

HISD ACP Principal Academy Expected Outcomes

• Provide a comprehensive, ongoing, high-quality leadership training program to prepare ACP Principal Academy fellows to obtain a Texas Standard Principal Certifi cation.

• Provide standards-based curriculum framework, school leadership and business content-embedded coursework, and mentor-guided, experience-rich internship that allow the fellows to develop and hone the skills identifi ed in HISD Profi le of a Leader in preparation for eff ective school leadership in a large urban setting.

• Ensure post-certifi cation job placement support for ACP Principal Academy fellows as top-tier candidates for district principal and assistant principal vacancies.

Leadership can be thought of as a capacity to defi ne oneself to others in a way that

clarifi es and expands a vision of the future. ~Edwin Friedman

Houston Independent School District | Professional Development Services Alternative Certifi cation Program | Offi ce of Leadership Excellence

Sharon KoonceAssistant Superintendant, Professional Development

Josephine RiceDirector, Academic Training

Shannon VerrettManager, Leadership Development

Lidia Gazdyszyn ZatopekManager, Certifi cation Training

LGAZDYSZ@houstonisd.orgwww.pdserv.org | www.houstonacp.org

Houston Independent School District | Professional Development ServicesAlternative Certifi cation Program | Offi ce of Leadership Excellence

Houston Independent School District

ACP Principal Academy

H I S D

ACP Principal Academy

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Program Components - HISD ACP Principal Academy is comprised of seven comprehensive components:

• ACP Principal Academy Team Building Camp

• University of St. Thomas School of Education graduate coursework

• University of St. Thomas School of Business MBA coursework

• HISD Facilitative Leadership Colloquium Seminars

• Preparation for the Texas Standard Principal Certification

• Mentor-Guided, Experience-Rich Internship

• Post-Certifi cation Job Placement Support

HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT ACP PRINCIPAL ACADEMYAs part of the district’s strong commitment to developing human capital and establishing multiple pathways for leadership development, Houston Independent School District (HISD) Alternative Certifi cation Program (ACP) is seeking talented, dedicated educators to participate in a two-year, state-approved, cohort-based principal certifi cation program.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader. ~ John Quincy Adams

Selection Process

HISD ACP Principal Academy applicants must undergo a rigorous four-phase selection process to ensure that fellows have the talents, dispositions, and skills required of an HISD principal.

PHASE ONE:

• Applicants complete Intent to Apply form located at http://pdserv.org . Intent to Apply form is submitted via e-mail to ACP.

• Principal complete Principal Nomination form-submit via e-mail.

• Applicants will receive instructions via e-mail to complete the PrincipalInsight

online interview.

• Eligible applicants will be notifi ed to submit an Application Portfolio Binder which consists of offi cial university transcripts, evidence of successful leadership and teaching experience, resume/employee data form, and three references of

which one must be from current supervisor/principal.

PHASE TWO:

• Eligible applicantsare notifi ed via e-mail to attend the HISD-ACP Principal

Academy Mixer.

PHASE THREE:

• Eligible applicants will complete a Skills Demonstration assessment.

• Eligible applicants participate in a structured interview

• ACP verifi es the skills demonstration assessment and structured interview results.

• ACP notifi es applicants via e-mail of their eligibility to proceed to the fi nal phase.

PHASE FOUR:

• Selected applicants submit Application Portfolio binders.

• Selected applicants are observed at their work place.

• E-mail and written mail notifi cations go out to fi nalists and their principals.

Minimum Qualifi cations - HISD ACP Principal Academy is open to internal and external candidates who meet all program qualifi cations and selection criteria. Applicants must meet the following minimum qualifi cations:

• Master’s degree

• Two to three years of successful teaching experience on a valid teaching certificate

• 3.0 overall GPA

Post-Certifi cation Support - As the top-tier candidates for district principal and assistant principal vacancies, ACP Princiapal Academy fellows, upon successful completion of the certifi cation program (or upon receiving a job off er while going through the program), will receive ongoing support from the district and Human Resources department to facilitate their hiring opportunities.

Program Costs? - The U.S. Department of Education School Leadership Grant will partially off set the program costs for internal candidates nominated by their principals and selected for the ACP Principal Academy.

HISD ACP Principal Academy is a rigorous academic program designed in collaborative partnership with the University of St. Thomas School of Education, the University of St. Thomas Cameron School of Business, and HISD departments and personnel. Academy fellows engage in intensive set of learning experiences with a strong focus on building exceptional leadership skills and business acumen to become education change agents who champion the needs of all students.

Internship:

Year One - Thirty pre-internship observation hours will occur as part of the certification process. ACP-Principal Academy fellows will observe and reflect on a variety of leadership practices that currently exist on school campuses. Observation experiences are aligned to the Texas Principal Standards.

Year Two - At the core of the practical experiential learning is an internship. Under the coaching and mentoring of an experienced mentor principal and ACP fi eld supervisor, ACP Principal Academy fellows are engaged in structured, standards-driven, campus-based/job-embedded learning. The internship expands the skills and knowledge gained through coursework by placing the fellows in real-time, authentic, contextual setting experienced daily by school administrators and allowing them to synthesize and apply these skills and experience immediate feedback from mentor principal and ACP fi eld supervisor.

It is the policy of the Houston Independent School District not to discriminate on the basis of age, color, handi-cap or disability, ancestry, national origin, marital status, race, religion, sex, veteran status or political affi liation

in its education or employment programs and activities